Just a reminder – this Saturday Glen’s friends will be gathering for a celebration of his life. We look forward to seeing you there. Please pass this invitation to anyone who may have known Glen.
Bring your best Glen story and come prepared to have a great time! In addition to the numbers listed below, you can reach me at 713-966-9497
JOIN US TO REMEMBER GLEN
Everyone is invited for an evening to honor our dear friend, the artist Glen Gips. If you own any of Glen’s art, you are urged to bring it with you for consideration in an upcoming show at Art Car Museum. Please forward this invitation to others who knew him.
6 – 10 P.M., OCTOBER 16, 2010
Mary Jenewein’s Studio
4313 University Oaks
Houston, TX 77004
There will be Potluck Supper, so please bring something to share. We will supply keg beer, soft drinks and bottled water – otherwise, B.Y.O.B. Glen’s art and photos will be displayed. WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE.
Mary Jenewein 713.747.1261
mjenewein@att.net
Sandy Calhoun
sandy@writetactic.com
Bill Shackelford
blackoak2@comcast.net
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Glen's Eulogy
That was one of the most beautiful, as well as fitting, eulogies I've ever heard. It was so "Glen," for all of us that had the opportunity to know him. We were able to spend more time with Glen than usual after he had been hospitalized. It was during this time that we felt so much closer to him, and that we developed a much deeper understanding of him. I do so admire his strength and patience during those difficult last months. Somehow, he managed to keep a sense of humor, as well. We were fortunate to have had some special time with him. We will miss you, Glen.
Glen Gips - Eulogy
Some of you have asked that I post the Eulogy given at Glen's funeral to the blog so they could read it again. I am happy to share it with you.
The day Glen died, Dr. Wahl asked us when Glen had become so obsessed with time. We told him it had been in the last several years. I was thinking about that conversation on the way to work the next morning. And I got to thinking that Glen has always been at odds with “time.” I can’t tell you the frustration we felt when Glen would lollygag around or drag his heels whenever he went anywhere with us. The waiting for him to wander through resale shops or garage sales looking at things we considered not-important or uninteresting to us.
– or stopping to talk to somebody who looked interesting to him – or to anyone that would talk to him – the waiting while he purchased some oddball trinket or took some off-angle photograph just because it struck his fancy – or even when he stopped to take a picture of a smushed bug. I remember so many of those times. His tenacious questioning when he wanted an answer to something - the “time” he spent getting that answer. The aggravation, the irritation – all because we were running late on account of Glen.
But you know what? I think maybe Glen was the only one who really GOT the concept of “time”. Glen actually had “time” to visit with people. He had “time” to make new friends. He had “time” to look at all kinds of eclectic stuff in souvenir shops. He had the “time” to feed his imagination so that he could create his art. He took the "time" to “notice” you. He had “time” for his friends – he made “time” for family.
He wasn’t perfect – and he knew just how and where to push your buttons. Believe me – I have several buttons and he pushed all of them at one time or another through the years. He was really good at it. Any of us who were loved by Glen know from experience this is a truth. It seems that we were always so busy with our own families or our own worries that we couldn’t appreciate Glen’s attention to “time”. We sometimes thought Glen didn’t live by a clock – that he was wasting his life away – not accomplishing anything or not applying himself - when in fact, he probably used his “time” better than WE ever thought of doing.
I don’t know if it was on purpose that Glen’s life wasn’t governed by a real clock, but rather by his own God-given life clock. Maybe he knew his “time” here on earth would be short. I don’t know those things. I DO know that Glen demanded you notice him. He spent the extra “time” to make an impression. And these last several months, I’ve met many people whose lives he has touched in some way. They remember Glen – AND BY NAME. And – he remembered their names. I’m embarrassed to say that I rarely remember someone’s name when I’m introduced. I don’t take the “time”.
But Glen? He had that gift of “time” to give to most every person he met. You remembered Glen once you met him. He had the “time” to make a lasting impression. Or should I say he had a gift? Glen gave part of himself to everyone he met whether he realized it or not. That is a great legacy, and I’m glad Glen had “time” for me.
I pray that God grants each of us some of Glen’s “time” so that we too, can touch the life of others the way Glen has touched ours.
Glen Gips - Eulogy
By Darla Gips
The day Glen died, Dr. Wahl asked us when Glen had become so obsessed with time. We told him it had been in the last several years. I was thinking about that conversation on the way to work the next morning. And I got to thinking that Glen has always been at odds with “time.” I can’t tell you the frustration we felt when Glen would lollygag around or drag his heels whenever he went anywhere with us. The waiting for him to wander through resale shops or garage sales looking at things we considered not-important or uninteresting to us.
– or stopping to talk to somebody who looked interesting to him – or to anyone that would talk to him – the waiting while he purchased some oddball trinket or took some off-angle photograph just because it struck his fancy – or even when he stopped to take a picture of a smushed bug. I remember so many of those times. His tenacious questioning when he wanted an answer to something - the “time” he spent getting that answer. The aggravation, the irritation – all because we were running late on account of Glen.
But you know what? I think maybe Glen was the only one who really GOT the concept of “time”. Glen actually had “time” to visit with people. He had “time” to make new friends. He had “time” to look at all kinds of eclectic stuff in souvenir shops. He had the “time” to feed his imagination so that he could create his art. He took the "time" to “notice” you. He had “time” for his friends – he made “time” for family.
He wasn’t perfect – and he knew just how and where to push your buttons. Believe me – I have several buttons and he pushed all of them at one time or another through the years. He was really good at it. Any of us who were loved by Glen know from experience this is a truth. It seems that we were always so busy with our own families or our own worries that we couldn’t appreciate Glen’s attention to “time”. We sometimes thought Glen didn’t live by a clock – that he was wasting his life away – not accomplishing anything or not applying himself - when in fact, he probably used his “time” better than WE ever thought of doing.
I don’t know if it was on purpose that Glen’s life wasn’t governed by a real clock, but rather by his own God-given life clock. Maybe he knew his “time” here on earth would be short. I don’t know those things. I DO know that Glen demanded you notice him. He spent the extra “time” to make an impression. And these last several months, I’ve met many people whose lives he has touched in some way. They remember Glen – AND BY NAME. And – he remembered their names. I’m embarrassed to say that I rarely remember someone’s name when I’m introduced. I don’t take the “time”.
But Glen? He had that gift of “time” to give to most every person he met. You remembered Glen once you met him. He had the “time” to make a lasting impression. Or should I say he had a gift? Glen gave part of himself to everyone he met whether he realized it or not. That is a great legacy, and I’m glad Glen had “time” for me.
I pray that God grants each of us some of Glen’s “time” so that we too, can touch the life of others the way Glen has touched ours.
Posting to the Blog
I didn't realize that readers of the blog have been unable to post comments to the updates I provided. I sincerely apologize to any of who tried and couldn't. This is the first time I've used a blogging tool to get information out to a group of people.
When someone told me there was no way to leave comments, I did some research and I have hopefully fixed that problem. I have sent invitations to those of you who have emailed me personally, or who have been automatically notified of updates through email to become authors of the blog so you can post. Please let me know if you would like to be removed from the list or if you have trouble leaving a message.
I do believe you have to accept the invitation in order to post.
I thought that once you had clicked on the link to follow the blog, you would be able to comment - but I guess not. Anyhow - my apologies.
Just want to make sure you all get information about the celebration Sandy & Mary are planning in October
When someone told me there was no way to leave comments, I did some research and I have hopefully fixed that problem. I have sent invitations to those of you who have emailed me personally, or who have been automatically notified of updates through email to become authors of the blog so you can post. Please let me know if you would like to be removed from the list or if you have trouble leaving a message.
I do believe you have to accept the invitation in order to post.
I thought that once you had clicked on the link to follow the blog, you would be able to comment - but I guess not. Anyhow - my apologies.
Just want to make sure you all get information about the celebration Sandy & Mary are planning in October
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
On Line Memorium
You can view an on-line memorium to Glen by going to:
www.earthmanbellaire.com and click on Glen's name. This opens up Glen's page.
Under Family Photos - click the "View Photo Gallery" Button. Then click to start the slideshow.
Let me know if you have any problem viewing at dgips@gipsgaits.com
www.earthmanbellaire.com and click on Glen's name. This opens up Glen's page.
Under Family Photos - click the "View Photo Gallery" Button. Then click to start the slideshow.
Let me know if you have any problem viewing at dgips@gipsgaits.com
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Glen Gips 1958 - 2010
Dear Friends:
Glen made his journey to the other side this morning at 11:45. His soul is now free to paint upon the heavens and leave his indelible mark for us to remember him by. We are looking forward to the signs he'll give us from time to time that will remind us that although he is not here in the flesh, he is surely watching over us from afar and painting a tapestry of our lives to share when we are once again reunited with him.
A visitation will be held Thursday, August 5 from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. at Earthman's Funeral home, 6700 Ferris Street, Bellaire, TX 77401-3919;(713) 667-6505.
Funeral Services will be held on Friday, August 6 at 9:00 a.m. at Faith Lutheran Church located at 4600 Bellaire Blvd., Bellaire, TX. The church is located 2 blocks east of Loop 610 in Bellaire. Afterward a short reception will be held for those not traveling to Yorktown and who wish to pay their respects to the family.
Glen will be buried in Yorktown, Texas in the Westside Cemetery near his mother, father and paternal grandparents and a short graveside service will be conducted at 3:00 p.m.
If you need further information or need to contact us, please call me at 713-966-9497or email me at dgips@gipsgaits.com and I'll contact you quickly and hopefully will have an answer to any of your questions.
Sincerely,
Darla Gips
Glen made his journey to the other side this morning at 11:45. His soul is now free to paint upon the heavens and leave his indelible mark for us to remember him by. We are looking forward to the signs he'll give us from time to time that will remind us that although he is not here in the flesh, he is surely watching over us from afar and painting a tapestry of our lives to share when we are once again reunited with him.
A visitation will be held Thursday, August 5 from 6:00 - 8:30 p.m. at Earthman's Funeral home, 6700 Ferris Street, Bellaire, TX 77401-3919;(713) 667-6505.
Funeral Services will be held on Friday, August 6 at 9:00 a.m. at Faith Lutheran Church located at 4600 Bellaire Blvd., Bellaire, TX. The church is located 2 blocks east of Loop 610 in Bellaire. Afterward a short reception will be held for those not traveling to Yorktown and who wish to pay their respects to the family.
Glen will be buried in Yorktown, Texas in the Westside Cemetery near his mother, father and paternal grandparents and a short graveside service will be conducted at 3:00 p.m.
If you need further information or need to contact us, please call me at 713-966-9497or email me at dgips@gipsgaits.com and I'll contact you quickly and hopefully will have an answer to any of your questions.
Sincerely,
Darla Gips
Friday, July 30, 2010
Glen - Update July 30, 2010
Dear Friends:
Today Glen's family made the decision to discontinue life support for Glen. It has been a long 7 1/2 months for everybody. For 4 1/2 of those months, Glen has been in unresponsive state due to an anoxic brain injury caused by lack of oxygen to the brain, and because of major strokes as well. Try as we might to hold out hope that the old Glen would somehow be able to make it back to us, that hasn't happened.
Today the doctors told us that Glen is beginning to show signs that his body has begun shutting down. Glen has been having trouble keeping his oxygenation level stable and now is not tolerating the tube feeding.
So - with a heavy heart, it was decided to discontinue life support on Tuesday, August 3.
Any of you who would like to visit this weekend are welcome. He is in Ben Taub Hospital in the ICU on the 4th Floor. We understand if you don't want to visit, too. Our Glen is no longer here. Our Glen is in our hearts and our minds and in the art and memories of him he leaves behind.
When we have final arrangements to share, we will post again.
Sincerely,
Glen's Family
Today Glen's family made the decision to discontinue life support for Glen. It has been a long 7 1/2 months for everybody. For 4 1/2 of those months, Glen has been in unresponsive state due to an anoxic brain injury caused by lack of oxygen to the brain, and because of major strokes as well. Try as we might to hold out hope that the old Glen would somehow be able to make it back to us, that hasn't happened.
Today the doctors told us that Glen is beginning to show signs that his body has begun shutting down. Glen has been having trouble keeping his oxygenation level stable and now is not tolerating the tube feeding.
So - with a heavy heart, it was decided to discontinue life support on Tuesday, August 3.
Any of you who would like to visit this weekend are welcome. He is in Ben Taub Hospital in the ICU on the 4th Floor. We understand if you don't want to visit, too. Our Glen is no longer here. Our Glen is in our hearts and our minds and in the art and memories of him he leaves behind.
When we have final arrangements to share, we will post again.
Sincerely,
Glen's Family
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
A Short Update
Dear Friends:
I've been asked to update you all on how Glen is doing and wish I could tell you that he was awake, aware and doing well. I hardly have the heart to write uplifting things anymore - and I know that is awful of me. I am going to share with you what I wrote last week to a friend regarding Glen and our meeting with the doctors last week. I am hoping she won't mind (I have edited out the personal info).
I was just thinking of you today. We (Doug and I and Edward) had a meeting with the doctors today [4/15] about Glen. It is still a wait and see thing with him. But the lack of any real progress in his condition is not a really good sign. I am still trying to get him on Social Security, and to that end, I am sending his forms and the permanent disability letter into Social Security this week.
Oh Dear – I just really was bummed at the meeting today. I had really thought that maybe the thoracic people were going to turn over Glen’s case to the neurology department, but that wasn’t the case. They instead wanted us to know that they were going to continue treating him. When we asked if he would be better somewhere else if we could get him on social security, the doctor said that there probably were better facilities that could do things like physical therapy to get his limbs more limber, but after talking to the social worker, it’s looking like he won’t be able to move anywhere anytime soon. He is not even medically at the point where he can be moved yet.
I have asked them to do an official investigation into why this happened, and of course I think the hospital is worried that we may bring some kind of suit. I don’t know what anything like that would accomplish, but if he is like this because of an error on their part, then they need to be responsible for his continued medical care for the rest of his life however long that may be.
I think it would be good for you guys to see Glen – I worry that you may be put off by his condition. Frankly, it’s been very hard to visit and stay motivated. I’m having great trouble thinking of things to say to him – because even though he might open his eyes, he cannot look at you – his eyes to do not focus. His arms and hands have begun curling toward his body and his hands are drawing up into fists. They have balls of gauze in his palms to keep them from closing entirely, and on one arm they have a sling which prevents him from drawing it up toward his chest.
He has no control over any of his bodily functions and he is still on the respirator. He is on a 40% oxygen mixture, and before he could be safely moved anywhere, he would have to be only on a 28% mixture I think they said. (An update to that - By Sunday afternoon [4/18] we was strictly on CPAP, which means that he is breathing on his own, but the the respirator is monitoring that and if he doesn't breathe on his own, then it breathes for him - another step in getting him weaned from the vent).
Kathyrn, Glen’s sister, seems to be the most motivated of us all. She is pushing everyone toward believing that in a year Glen will be back to normal. It’s been 5 weeks next Tuesday (on the 20th) – and from all the research and study I’ve done, it looks like Glen may not get much better than he is right now. The doctors, too, are disappointed that he has not made more progress than this since it happened.
So – today was a bad day for me. I feel so utterly helpless and I am. Maybe this is a lesson I’m to learn about patience.
Pretty much the schedule for visiting is that Kathryn goes (I think) on Monday, Wed & Fri in the morning. I try to go on my lunch on Monday afternoons, then again on Thursdays after work and both Doug and I go on Friday nights. But we don’t always keep this schedule. The weekends we all kind of backed off so that his friends could visit, but I’m really not sure who is going up there on the weekends now.
4/20/10 – We took Karine to visit with Glen last Sunday afternoon. She was saddened and I think realized that Glen wasn’t getting much, if any better. She was afraid to touch him because each time she did, he reacted much in the way someone would react when being startled out of a nap. He can react to stimuli, but not interact if that makes any sense.
If you touch his forehead, he many times scrunches up his face and you may think that you are hurting him. Trying to uncurl his fingers or straighten his arms or legs brings about resistance, but they are more reflex actions rather than Glen purposefully pulling them away. He opens his eyes, but he cannot follow your finger or focus on you. His pupils don’t react to light.
He has uncontrollable twitching (and sometimes it’s rhythmic) of his arms and legs. Like the neurons aren’t firing right – and I suppose that’s what a lot of it is. While he’s not in what they call a vegetative state, he is not aware either. We asked the doctor if he was aware of visitors or music or sounds. We know he reacts to sound and to touch, but mostly they believe they are just reflexes to that stimuli.
This is what makes it so difficult to ask anyone to come visit with him. Last week, I took a movie up with me on my I-touch and we watched a movie. That’s a cop out on my part, I know, but that’s what I did. He didn’t react in any way different than he normally does while he’s laying there. He has periods of awake and of sleep.
So, friends, that’s what it is at this point. Kathryn says that the doctors say it would be good for Glen to have friends visit. If you want to drop in, please do. You will need to put on a protective gown and gloves before entering the room, but don’t be put off by that. Glen still has some lingering infection they have not figured out what it is (he still has some pneumonia), so it’s for both your and his protection.
Just please keep Glen in your prayers.
Sincerely,
Darla
I've been asked to update you all on how Glen is doing and wish I could tell you that he was awake, aware and doing well. I hardly have the heart to write uplifting things anymore - and I know that is awful of me. I am going to share with you what I wrote last week to a friend regarding Glen and our meeting with the doctors last week. I am hoping she won't mind (I have edited out the personal info).
I was just thinking of you today. We (Doug and I and Edward) had a meeting with the doctors today [4/15] about Glen. It is still a wait and see thing with him. But the lack of any real progress in his condition is not a really good sign. I am still trying to get him on Social Security, and to that end, I am sending his forms and the permanent disability letter into Social Security this week.
Oh Dear – I just really was bummed at the meeting today. I had really thought that maybe the thoracic people were going to turn over Glen’s case to the neurology department, but that wasn’t the case. They instead wanted us to know that they were going to continue treating him. When we asked if he would be better somewhere else if we could get him on social security, the doctor said that there probably were better facilities that could do things like physical therapy to get his limbs more limber, but after talking to the social worker, it’s looking like he won’t be able to move anywhere anytime soon. He is not even medically at the point where he can be moved yet.
I have asked them to do an official investigation into why this happened, and of course I think the hospital is worried that we may bring some kind of suit. I don’t know what anything like that would accomplish, but if he is like this because of an error on their part, then they need to be responsible for his continued medical care for the rest of his life however long that may be.
I think it would be good for you guys to see Glen – I worry that you may be put off by his condition. Frankly, it’s been very hard to visit and stay motivated. I’m having great trouble thinking of things to say to him – because even though he might open his eyes, he cannot look at you – his eyes to do not focus. His arms and hands have begun curling toward his body and his hands are drawing up into fists. They have balls of gauze in his palms to keep them from closing entirely, and on one arm they have a sling which prevents him from drawing it up toward his chest.
He has no control over any of his bodily functions and he is still on the respirator. He is on a 40% oxygen mixture, and before he could be safely moved anywhere, he would have to be only on a 28% mixture I think they said. (An update to that - By Sunday afternoon [4/18] we was strictly on CPAP, which means that he is breathing on his own, but the the respirator is monitoring that and if he doesn't breathe on his own, then it breathes for him - another step in getting him weaned from the vent).
Kathyrn, Glen’s sister, seems to be the most motivated of us all. She is pushing everyone toward believing that in a year Glen will be back to normal. It’s been 5 weeks next Tuesday (on the 20th) – and from all the research and study I’ve done, it looks like Glen may not get much better than he is right now. The doctors, too, are disappointed that he has not made more progress than this since it happened.
So – today was a bad day for me. I feel so utterly helpless and I am. Maybe this is a lesson I’m to learn about patience.
Pretty much the schedule for visiting is that Kathryn goes (I think) on Monday, Wed & Fri in the morning. I try to go on my lunch on Monday afternoons, then again on Thursdays after work and both Doug and I go on Friday nights. But we don’t always keep this schedule. The weekends we all kind of backed off so that his friends could visit, but I’m really not sure who is going up there on the weekends now.
4/20/10 – We took Karine to visit with Glen last Sunday afternoon. She was saddened and I think realized that Glen wasn’t getting much, if any better. She was afraid to touch him because each time she did, he reacted much in the way someone would react when being startled out of a nap. He can react to stimuli, but not interact if that makes any sense.
If you touch his forehead, he many times scrunches up his face and you may think that you are hurting him. Trying to uncurl his fingers or straighten his arms or legs brings about resistance, but they are more reflex actions rather than Glen purposefully pulling them away. He opens his eyes, but he cannot follow your finger or focus on you. His pupils don’t react to light.
He has uncontrollable twitching (and sometimes it’s rhythmic) of his arms and legs. Like the neurons aren’t firing right – and I suppose that’s what a lot of it is. While he’s not in what they call a vegetative state, he is not aware either. We asked the doctor if he was aware of visitors or music or sounds. We know he reacts to sound and to touch, but mostly they believe they are just reflexes to that stimuli.
This is what makes it so difficult to ask anyone to come visit with him. Last week, I took a movie up with me on my I-touch and we watched a movie. That’s a cop out on my part, I know, but that’s what I did. He didn’t react in any way different than he normally does while he’s laying there. He has periods of awake and of sleep.
So, friends, that’s what it is at this point. Kathryn says that the doctors say it would be good for Glen to have friends visit. If you want to drop in, please do. You will need to put on a protective gown and gloves before entering the room, but don’t be put off by that. Glen still has some lingering infection they have not figured out what it is (he still has some pneumonia), so it’s for both your and his protection.
Just please keep Glen in your prayers.
Sincerely,
Darla
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Updated - April 6, 2010
I'm sorry I haven't blogged in so long. It's been a really emotional and upsetting time for all of us. You all know that for some reason Glen had an anoxic (blockage of oxygen to the brain) injury on March 17 - three weeks ago. He was evaluated at 1, 2, and 3 days, at 1 week and then again at 2 weeks.
At 1 week, Glen's prognosis was in the uncertain range. Because he survived two weeks after the "event" (as they call it), his prognosis falls within brain function guidelines they categorize as a good prognostic category. Now, having said that, these are the statistics they gave us when the family met with the doctors last Wednesday afternoon.
Of 210 patients who survived two weeks after an anoxic injury, only 26 those had any markable recovery when studied at 1 year after the incident. Of those 26, 4% did not recover and remained in a vegetative state. 15% of those 26 were severely disabled, meaning they are not able to care for themselves. 81% of those 26 were classified as moderately disabled, meaning they were disabled, but possibly could contribute to their own care. We were also cautioned that these figures were given as a guideline and that medical conditions could occur which could change his prognosis, too. He could get an infection (which he already has), develop pneumonia, etc.
We do not know where in those percentages Glen fits yet. And that was a question one of my boys asked the doctors. At what point will they be able to tell us how much he is going to recover. Their answer of course, was that the study was done at 1 year - so --- well....
Here are a couple of things we do know. A major portion of his right brain was effected. We know this because Glen has no movement, reflexes, feeling on his left side. We know that his left brain is also effected because "Glen shouldn't be like he is today" (direct quote from the neurologist). But we know that his left brain is effected because Glen wasn't able to move his right side either at first.
At just under two weeks, Glen began to move his right arm up toward his chest and his right foot began to move as well. He opens his eyes off and on, but he does not focus and even though his eyes may move from side to side, he cannot follow anything. He at this point is not able to follow verbal commands. He cannot squeeze your hand with his fingers. He continually moves his right hand up toward his chest and his right leg moves in a jerking motion. I do not believe he is aware. He has reflexes, especially around his face, and when you touch him, he sometimes grimaces. Although it may appear that he opens his eyes or moves his hand or feet on command, if you watch, he does repetitive motions over and over again - even if he has his eyes closed and appears to be asleep. It's all so confusing.
This morning the nurse told Doug that he moved his left foot a small amount today. Glen still has that pesky infection that keeps rearing it's head. He's running fever of about 101.5. They are giving him tylenol which seems to bring it down pretty quick. Yesterday they did an ultrasound of his heart to make sure there was no infection in the valve that was replaced, and today, they were doing a scope down his throat so they could put eyes on the valve. We haven't gotten the results from that test yet. Will post once I find out tomorrow.
Today they also began to reduce his dependence on the respirator. It is our hope that once we are able to get Glen on social security or some type of medicaid we will be able to move him to a place where he can get more help toward recovery.
So, friends, this is all we know. I wish I could make myself sound more upbeat and positive for you. I'm finding it very difficult not to be very discouraged because it's been so dang long that he's been in the hospital. It is so hard to wait and see him like this - at least it is for me.
Please keep Glen in your daily prayers.
At 1 week, Glen's prognosis was in the uncertain range. Because he survived two weeks after the "event" (as they call it), his prognosis falls within brain function guidelines they categorize as a good prognostic category. Now, having said that, these are the statistics they gave us when the family met with the doctors last Wednesday afternoon.
Of 210 patients who survived two weeks after an anoxic injury, only 26 those had any markable recovery when studied at 1 year after the incident. Of those 26, 4% did not recover and remained in a vegetative state. 15% of those 26 were severely disabled, meaning they are not able to care for themselves. 81% of those 26 were classified as moderately disabled, meaning they were disabled, but possibly could contribute to their own care. We were also cautioned that these figures were given as a guideline and that medical conditions could occur which could change his prognosis, too. He could get an infection (which he already has), develop pneumonia, etc.
We do not know where in those percentages Glen fits yet. And that was a question one of my boys asked the doctors. At what point will they be able to tell us how much he is going to recover. Their answer of course, was that the study was done at 1 year - so --- well....
Here are a couple of things we do know. A major portion of his right brain was effected. We know this because Glen has no movement, reflexes, feeling on his left side. We know that his left brain is also effected because "Glen shouldn't be like he is today" (direct quote from the neurologist). But we know that his left brain is effected because Glen wasn't able to move his right side either at first.
At just under two weeks, Glen began to move his right arm up toward his chest and his right foot began to move as well. He opens his eyes off and on, but he does not focus and even though his eyes may move from side to side, he cannot follow anything. He at this point is not able to follow verbal commands. He cannot squeeze your hand with his fingers. He continually moves his right hand up toward his chest and his right leg moves in a jerking motion. I do not believe he is aware. He has reflexes, especially around his face, and when you touch him, he sometimes grimaces. Although it may appear that he opens his eyes or moves his hand or feet on command, if you watch, he does repetitive motions over and over again - even if he has his eyes closed and appears to be asleep. It's all so confusing.
This morning the nurse told Doug that he moved his left foot a small amount today. Glen still has that pesky infection that keeps rearing it's head. He's running fever of about 101.5. They are giving him tylenol which seems to bring it down pretty quick. Yesterday they did an ultrasound of his heart to make sure there was no infection in the valve that was replaced, and today, they were doing a scope down his throat so they could put eyes on the valve. We haven't gotten the results from that test yet. Will post once I find out tomorrow.
Today they also began to reduce his dependence on the respirator. It is our hope that once we are able to get Glen on social security or some type of medicaid we will be able to move him to a place where he can get more help toward recovery.
So, friends, this is all we know. I wish I could make myself sound more upbeat and positive for you. I'm finding it very difficult not to be very discouraged because it's been so dang long that he's been in the hospital. It is so hard to wait and see him like this - at least it is for me.
Please keep Glen in your daily prayers.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Glen Update - Thursday, March 25
Well, friends, Glen appears to be much the same today. I can tell you that the spinal tap is clean - meaning he does not have meningitis and that has been ruled out as a cause of his hypoxia.
Douglas,Jr. David and I went to visit at the 1:00 hour today and got from the nurse that he was stable, but still sleeping. She said he will react to certain stimuli sometimes, but he still cannot follow simple directions or lift his limbs or follow with his eyes.
He is still running a low grade fever. He is due for another evaluation on Tuesday from the neurologists, so I don't think there is much more I can add at this point. I hate sounding like a broken record, so until there is a shift in his condition, I probably will not be updating his blog.
Keep Glen in your prayers - they are really needed.
Sincerely,
Darla
Douglas,Jr. David and I went to visit at the 1:00 hour today and got from the nurse that he was stable, but still sleeping. She said he will react to certain stimuli sometimes, but he still cannot follow simple directions or lift his limbs or follow with his eyes.
He is still running a low grade fever. He is due for another evaluation on Tuesday from the neurologists, so I don't think there is much more I can add at this point. I hate sounding like a broken record, so until there is a shift in his condition, I probably will not be updating his blog.
Keep Glen in your prayers - they are really needed.
Sincerely,
Darla
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Tuesday, March 23
Met with one of the neurologists this morning. They need to rule out meningitis as a cause for Glen's sleep state before they will address Glen's prognosis. If it is meningitis, then maybe there's a chance for better recovery. The team was beginning the procedure at the end of visiting hours this morning and will probably not have a definitive answer for a couple of days.
Glen is still sleeping, although he was opening and closing his eyes toward the end of our visit. His bed is set to move him in various positions throughout the day to keep him from getting any rubs, and they are exercising his limbs 3 times during the day too keep them from stiffening. The pupil in his left eye seems a little larger today than it has been, and I have completely no idea if that is a good sign or not.
Yesterday when I was there and I touched his forehead and lifted his arms, his heart rate increased and for some reason his blood pressure started skyrocketing up in the 205 - 210 range. Wow - I could see it climb on the monitor. The nurse came in and told me that sometimes when he is overstimulated his pressure seems to start climbing. I just continued to talk to him instead of physically touching him and that seemed to help his vital signs. Today, it didn't make any difference in his pressure if you touched him - so Desiree and I I kept a hand on him to let him know we were there. I guess maybe he really was in a deep sleep and not in that dreamy state or whatever it is when he is able to partially open his eyes.
Still, friends, will keep you updated as we get info from the doctors. Thanks for all the prayers and emails.
Have a pleasant afternoon!
Sincerely,
Darla
Glen is still sleeping, although he was opening and closing his eyes toward the end of our visit. His bed is set to move him in various positions throughout the day to keep him from getting any rubs, and they are exercising his limbs 3 times during the day too keep them from stiffening. The pupil in his left eye seems a little larger today than it has been, and I have completely no idea if that is a good sign or not.
Yesterday when I was there and I touched his forehead and lifted his arms, his heart rate increased and for some reason his blood pressure started skyrocketing up in the 205 - 210 range. Wow - I could see it climb on the monitor. The nurse came in and told me that sometimes when he is overstimulated his pressure seems to start climbing. I just continued to talk to him instead of physically touching him and that seemed to help his vital signs. Today, it didn't make any difference in his pressure if you touched him - so Desiree and I I kept a hand on him to let him know we were there. I guess maybe he really was in a deep sleep and not in that dreamy state or whatever it is when he is able to partially open his eyes.
Still, friends, will keep you updated as we get info from the doctors. Thanks for all the prayers and emails.
Have a pleasant afternoon!
Sincerely,
Darla
Monday, March 22, 2010
Monday, March 22 - Afternoon
Not much news, but I did learn that the neurologists are planning to do a lumbar puncture on Glen to rule out completely meningitis as a cause of his current condition. They will need to stop the blood thinner he is on to prevent bloodclots before they can do this procedure however, so it may be at least a couple of days before it is done. He is not running a high fever, although he still has the low grade temp
Having said that - depending on what the spinal tap reveals - they will then evaluate Glen again in a week. Keep your positive thoughts and prayers coming!
Sincerely,
Darla Gips
Having said that - depending on what the spinal tap reveals - they will then evaluate Glen again in a week. Keep your positive thoughts and prayers coming!
Sincerely,
Darla Gips
Monday, March 22
I'm sad to report that Glen is still about the same this morning. Desiree and Kathryn visited this morning and although they tried, he just would not wake up while they were there. We are still waiting on the neurological report to find out exactly what we can expect in the coming days. Will keep you posted soon as we hear.
Sincerely,
Darla
Sincerely,
Darla
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Visiting Glen on Sunday, March 21
Glen's Aunt, Karine, will be visiting Glen during the 1:00 p.m. visiting hour on Sunday. We would ask that if you want to see Glen tomorrow you please either visit him during the 10:00 a.m. or 7:00 p.m. ICU visiting hours. If you happen to be with Glen when Karine arrives, we will be asking you to come back at a later time.
The ICU is beginning to turn away visitors who just appear outside of normal visiting hours. They have been MORE than lenient with family and friends in overlooking the 2-visitor limit and the amount of time we have been able to spend with Glen during his whole hospital stay so far. They know that positive family and friend support is essential for his recovery. We are so thankful for all of you!
As a favor, I am asking that if you are upset with what you feel is sub-par treatment of Glen, please do not bring those feelings and opinions to the hospital. Bad karma should stay at home. Please don't take your frustrations out on the staff by being overbearing, condescending or by ordering them around - they are there to help Glen - and we believe he has received very good care. Remember that when there are visitors outside of regular visiting hours we are interrupting the routine flow of care, whether we realize or not.
Now is not the time to be assigning blame to anyone or with anything that was done to Glen. None of us even know exactly what happened yet - so if you think there is something that should be addressed regarding his care right now please email me at dgips@gipsgaits.com or call me at 713-966-9497.
I'll send another status update as soon as we get one. I've been told that the neurologists will be making some kind of determination on Glen's condition on Monday, but I don't know what time, so soon as I hear, I will post.
Please forgive me if I have hurt anyone's feelings or hit a nerve. That is not my intention. It is with the utmost respect, love and care for Glen that I have addressed the above issues with you - his friends and family.
Sincerely,
Darla Gips
The ICU is beginning to turn away visitors who just appear outside of normal visiting hours. They have been MORE than lenient with family and friends in overlooking the 2-visitor limit and the amount of time we have been able to spend with Glen during his whole hospital stay so far. They know that positive family and friend support is essential for his recovery. We are so thankful for all of you!
As a favor, I am asking that if you are upset with what you feel is sub-par treatment of Glen, please do not bring those feelings and opinions to the hospital. Bad karma should stay at home. Please don't take your frustrations out on the staff by being overbearing, condescending or by ordering them around - they are there to help Glen - and we believe he has received very good care. Remember that when there are visitors outside of regular visiting hours we are interrupting the routine flow of care, whether we realize or not.
Now is not the time to be assigning blame to anyone or with anything that was done to Glen. None of us even know exactly what happened yet - so if you think there is something that should be addressed regarding his care right now please email me at dgips@gipsgaits.com or call me at 713-966-9497.
I'll send another status update as soon as we get one. I've been told that the neurologists will be making some kind of determination on Glen's condition on Monday, but I don't know what time, so soon as I hear, I will post.
Please forgive me if I have hurt anyone's feelings or hit a nerve. That is not my intention. It is with the utmost respect, love and care for Glen that I have addressed the above issues with you - his friends and family.
Sincerely,
Darla Gips
Friday, March 19, 2010
Friday, March 19, 2010 - Update PM
Doug and I visited with Glen this evening. He is still asleep, although we did see him opening and closing his eyes once in a while. His pupils are still small and he wasn't focusing on anything. He is yawning off and on and we thought that was a pretty good sign. The doctor called that more of a primitive reflex than an awareness. Another CT scan was done this evening and it appears that Glen has some swelling on his brain. The likely cause is oxygen deprivation when he stopped breathing on Tuesday afternoon. The swelling did not show up in the first CT scan, but the doctor suspected there might be some swelling in the brain as Glen just hasn't woken up, so he ordered the 2nd one today. We may not know for a couple more days what treatment the neurologists can offer to reduce the swelling or if he will wake up on his own. He needs to wake up soon!
It is not sounding really good at this point, but that doesn't mean we give up hope or that we quit visiting and talking and letting him know that we are here for him. We don't know if the neurologists will be able to do anything to help the swelling in the brain, or if when Glen does wake up whether he will have significant brain damage or just possibly an alteration of personality. We can prepare for the worst and be pleasantly surprised when he turns around and comes out of this and makes the best recovery possible.
Will publish a new update when we have something more to share. Thank all of you for your continued support. Darla
It is not sounding really good at this point, but that doesn't mean we give up hope or that we quit visiting and talking and letting him know that we are here for him. We don't know if the neurologists will be able to do anything to help the swelling in the brain, or if when Glen does wake up whether he will have significant brain damage or just possibly an alteration of personality. We can prepare for the worst and be pleasantly surprised when he turns around and comes out of this and makes the best recovery possible.
Will publish a new update when we have something more to share. Thank all of you for your continued support. Darla
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Thursday, March 18 Update
I did go to the hospital at 1:00 and talked to the nurses. Yes, Glen is still asleep. The results of the blood work and cultures for infection are not back yet, so they still don't know if he has some kind of super bug or not and we are going to talk with them hopefully this evening to see if anything has been found.
The neurologists have been by twice today already. They have not ordered another CT scan to see if there has been any change in Glen's brain yet, but they are considering doing an MRI to map it and take a look. He has reflex action in the upper portion of his body, but still none in his extremities. He has some kind of encephalopathy (which is a disorder of the brain), but they are still not finding an explanation for it yet. Thus the testing.
He's still receiving medication to keep his blood pressure where it should be. Everything has to be done in small increments for Glen. Reducing the medication too much, causes too big a drop at a time, so they are weaning him gradually from the higher dose.
I know we'd all like answers RIGHT NOW as to what happened to Glen and why - and why couldn't they have foreseen it. I wish it was that simple, don't you all? Just as it's been a setback for Glen, it's been a setback for all the doctors and for all his family and friends. Feels like we're starting over - but this time it's a fight against an unknown enemy.
Please keep praying and keep Glen in your thoughts during the days ahead. Once the neurologists finish with the testing they are doing, maybe we will have a few answers or at least a prognosis of what to expect these next few days. I look at his yawning, and coughing as good signs that he at least has reflexes that work - so maybe in the next several days he'll gradually wake up from that deep sleep he's having. Wish him good dreams
The neurologists have been by twice today already. They have not ordered another CT scan to see if there has been any change in Glen's brain yet, but they are considering doing an MRI to map it and take a look. He has reflex action in the upper portion of his body, but still none in his extremities. He has some kind of encephalopathy (which is a disorder of the brain), but they are still not finding an explanation for it yet. Thus the testing.
He's still receiving medication to keep his blood pressure where it should be. Everything has to be done in small increments for Glen. Reducing the medication too much, causes too big a drop at a time, so they are weaning him gradually from the higher dose.
I know we'd all like answers RIGHT NOW as to what happened to Glen and why - and why couldn't they have foreseen it. I wish it was that simple, don't you all? Just as it's been a setback for Glen, it's been a setback for all the doctors and for all his family and friends. Feels like we're starting over - but this time it's a fight against an unknown enemy.
Please keep praying and keep Glen in your thoughts during the days ahead. Once the neurologists finish with the testing they are doing, maybe we will have a few answers or at least a prognosis of what to expect these next few days. I look at his yawning, and coughing as good signs that he at least has reflexes that work - so maybe in the next several days he'll gradually wake up from that deep sleep he's having. Wish him good dreams
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
NOT GOOD NEWS - Please Read
For some unknown reason, last night Glen's blood pressure went very low as did his oxygen level. He had to be put back on the ventilator and a new central line inserted in order to bring his pressure back. However, they have been unable to wake Glen up. A CT scan was performed to see if he possibly had a stroke, but that has come back negative. He has brain activity, some reflexes. Doctors are baffled. This morning, as I type, they have placed a temporary pacemaker on his chest and have called in the team to troubleshoot the permanent pacemaker to see if it has stopped or malfunctioned. His blood pressure is stable at the moment as is his heart rate. Dr. Misselback says that Glen is the sicker now than he has been this last two months and he really needs our prayers. Please pass this note to any of your friends who know Glen - and please take a minute to say a prayer for Glen's recovery from this setback.
Sincerely,
Darla Gips
Sincerely,
Darla Gips
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Making a Move
Saw Glen last night. Dr. Misselback walked in and told us that Glen is probably going to be moved to the Quentin Mease General Hospital("QM)next week sometime. Most probably Wednesday or Thursday.
He is back off of the ventilator and looking very good. He has the purple cap on his trach which is almost like having no trach at all. Dr. says that if he can maintain with the cap for several days, he may remove the whole trach. Keep your fingers crossed for him. Last weekend he was unable to still clear his secretions and his O2 level dropped and that is why they put him back on the respirator. Doing good this week so far.
Dr. M said that the infectious disease doctor still has to give Glen a clean bill of health before he can go over to QM and that there has been some concern that Glen may still be too ill to fully participate in his rehab. But Dr. M says he is not contagious, he is able to do rehab and although he'd like to keep Glen at Ben Taub so he can follow him personally, he really needs more rehab than the Ben Taub people can give him.
So - very good news guys - we are on the move. I will post again when I know when and what room Glen will be in at Quentin Mease. The address is 3601 North MacGregor Way. That is EAST of 288. If you go 288, you would go EAST on North MacGregor way a couple of miles I think. The visiting hours at 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. The phone number is (713) 873-3700. Remember - he's not there yet, but this is hopefully where he will be mid-week.
He is back off of the ventilator and looking very good. He has the purple cap on his trach which is almost like having no trach at all. Dr. says that if he can maintain with the cap for several days, he may remove the whole trach. Keep your fingers crossed for him. Last weekend he was unable to still clear his secretions and his O2 level dropped and that is why they put him back on the respirator. Doing good this week so far.
Dr. M said that the infectious disease doctor still has to give Glen a clean bill of health before he can go over to QM and that there has been some concern that Glen may still be too ill to fully participate in his rehab. But Dr. M says he is not contagious, he is able to do rehab and although he'd like to keep Glen at Ben Taub so he can follow him personally, he really needs more rehab than the Ben Taub people can give him.
So - very good news guys - we are on the move. I will post again when I know when and what room Glen will be in at Quentin Mease. The address is 3601 North MacGregor Way. That is EAST of 288. If you go 288, you would go EAST on North MacGregor way a couple of miles I think. The visiting hours at 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. The phone number is (713) 873-3700. Remember - he's not there yet, but this is hopefully where he will be mid-week.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Update March 8, 2010
Sorry I haven't written in a while everybody. I hope the following catches you up through last night.
Glen had his feeding tube inserted in his stomach on Thursday. Additionally, he had been given steroids to reduce the swelling in his vocal chords and while under the throat doctor also injected his vocal chords with something to fix them so he could speak once he gets the trach out. He was in some pain on Thursday evening when I visited, I think mostly from the incision and from some gas pains that would come and go.
Friday, Desiree spent several hours with him trying to motivate him to move and to keep his spirits up. On Saturday, Doug took Karine up in the afternoon and they stayed and visited for over 2 hours. They communicated by writing notes back & forth and Glen seemed to enjoy her visit. Sunday, Douglas (little Doug) spent time with Glen and he really did seem uncomfortable. His bowels are still backed up and he's having some trouble getting his colon to function again.
On Monday evening when I visited, I put a call in to Dr. Misselback. Because when I went in to Glen's room, I noticed that he was again hooked up to the respirator. Dr. Misselback told me that when they put the feeding tube in on Thursday, they also replaced the original trach with a smaller one. He had been breathing on his own for about 2 weeks and were beginning to try to wean him away. But - as he still has been unable to clear his own airway and swallow, the smaller trach became clogged on Sunday evening and they were afraid his secretions had seeped back into his lungs which would possibly cause pneumonia. So, they inserted the ball trach back in and hooked him up to the respirator for some support until they can gradually get his lung strength up.
Dr. Misselback said that this was a little set back for him. He had hopes of Glen being ready for a rehab setting this week, but it was looking more like either next week or after. In the next couple of days, they will be weaning him from the respirator and giving him some support in that way probably only at night. He doesn't want him to become dependent on it, and we had a long talk about Glen's rehabilitation. After a couple of days, Dr. Misselback says there is absolutely no reason that Glen can't be up in a chair for most of the day.
And in fact, he needs to be up in a chair most of the day. That's the only way he is going to get any stronger. He told me he had conflicting reports of Glen refusing physical therapy. I told him that Glen told me he wanted to be up and walking - and that no one had even been in to see him. So - we have a conundrum. I told Dr. Misselback that if we needed to have somebody come up and stay during the day to make sure Glen accepted the therapy we could. He didn't seem to think that was necesssary, but he did tell me that now was the time to turn into a "bitch" about Glen's care. To be more of an advocate and to make sure the nursing staff was paying attention to his needs of physical therapy.
He said that Glen is more alert than most of the patients in this part of the ICU, and they are more hesitant to get him up and moving about. Dr. Misselback said that Glen HAS to sit up - he is a totally deconditioned man - and that it's up to him to make his recovery happen. He said that it is just as well this little setback happened here at the hospital instead of at a rehab facility as Glen would probably have had to come back and be admitted to the hospital anyway. That part aside, however, I'd like to encourage each of you to help keep Glen motivated to push himself.
I told him he had to be up and in a chair. His butt has been hurting him and he says it's because of Hemorrhoids. I told him he didn't have hemorrhoids because I looked at his butt when the nurse was cleaning him. When he insisted he did, we looked again. I told him that if he had them - they must be up inside because he didn't have anything hanging out his butt. Sorry if this is gross - but this getting better business isn't always pretty. So - I got my first clue that maybe Glen had declined to be put in a chair. I told him that the nurses could get him a donut to sit on and that it wasn't an option not to sit in the chair.
Dr. Misselback said the ONLY way Glen is going to get better is to get himself up in a chair and work on getting his strength back. I also fussed at him - because he saw I was really serious about him getting out of the hospital - about not using the exercise equipment we have brought up to him. And any of you guys visiting him - feel free to ask him about the tools and get them and help him and make him do some reps of exercises while you are there. I bought a Pilates Bar with elastic bands that have openings where he can put his feet in them and then bring the bar up against his chest to strengthen his upper body. He can also use it to help strengthen his leg muscles by doing leg lifts and using the bar and bands to help lift. There are several tennis balls in the room. He can be squeezing them while he talks to you - you can squeeze one, too. He told me he needed a bar hanging from the ceiling so he could practice bringing it down to his chest - and I just got out the bar and put it on him and got him going on it.
Seriously, guys - if he's not gonna on his own motivate himself to continually build himself up, then I guess it's going to be up to us to make sure he at least does it when we are there with him. We'll have to address the issue of him taking responsibility for himself when we can get our hands around his neck and shake some sense into him. (Just kidding).
Dr. Misselback also told me he had talked to Glen's social worker about trying to get him into TIRR. She seemed to think that because he has the gold card, his options for TIRR may be limited. Do any of you have connections, or know of who I might contact to see if we can find out if there is any way we could get him in there? If so, please contact me. dgips@gipsgaits.com or 713-966-9497 . I'm calling his social worker today and I'm also going to call TIRR to find out what they require. I believe that in the next week or so, Glen could be strong enough to go there and Dr. M. said it would be a great place for him because he's fully convinced Glen can make a complete recovery and needs PT at least 3 times a day. I will also talk to Meredith (Glen's neighbor across the street). She works at Texas Children's Hospital as a social worker and maybe she can give me some pointers.
Glen is concerned about whether or not he will have a job when he gets out of the hospital. He asked last night if he could come home and do outpatient treatment. I told him that was an excellent idea - all he had to do was be able to clear his airway himself and at least be able to walk on a walker. He then told me there was a trainer on his street who could help him - and I again told him - excellent idea - just get himself strong enough to be home and it would happen. He's really wanting to get out of the hospital - but I'm wondering if he's realizing how easy it is to stay where he is? That's probably a wrong assumption - but he's sure getting lots of attention that he hadn't been getting. I told Glen it did no good right now to worry about his job. Hopefully they will still have a place for him and that every time we talk with them they say to let him know they miss him and want him to come back. He seemed to be OK with putting that thought on the back burner - after all, there wasn't any way he could work there at this particular moment in time.
well, guys - this is all I know and I hope I've given you some kind of insight as to where Glen is in his recovery. Thanks to all of you who've gone to visit with him. They are very laid back on the visiting hours for Glen. I think it helps the nurses when there are people visiting him because they don't have to check on him as much. If you do go up there and he isn't up in a chair this next make sure you insist he get in one. The nurses should help him. Let me know if you have ANY problem up there and we'll get it taken care of.
Sincerely -
Darla
Glen had his feeding tube inserted in his stomach on Thursday. Additionally, he had been given steroids to reduce the swelling in his vocal chords and while under the throat doctor also injected his vocal chords with something to fix them so he could speak once he gets the trach out. He was in some pain on Thursday evening when I visited, I think mostly from the incision and from some gas pains that would come and go.
Friday, Desiree spent several hours with him trying to motivate him to move and to keep his spirits up. On Saturday, Doug took Karine up in the afternoon and they stayed and visited for over 2 hours. They communicated by writing notes back & forth and Glen seemed to enjoy her visit. Sunday, Douglas (little Doug) spent time with Glen and he really did seem uncomfortable. His bowels are still backed up and he's having some trouble getting his colon to function again.
On Monday evening when I visited, I put a call in to Dr. Misselback. Because when I went in to Glen's room, I noticed that he was again hooked up to the respirator. Dr. Misselback told me that when they put the feeding tube in on Thursday, they also replaced the original trach with a smaller one. He had been breathing on his own for about 2 weeks and were beginning to try to wean him away. But - as he still has been unable to clear his own airway and swallow, the smaller trach became clogged on Sunday evening and they were afraid his secretions had seeped back into his lungs which would possibly cause pneumonia. So, they inserted the ball trach back in and hooked him up to the respirator for some support until they can gradually get his lung strength up.
Dr. Misselback said that this was a little set back for him. He had hopes of Glen being ready for a rehab setting this week, but it was looking more like either next week or after. In the next couple of days, they will be weaning him from the respirator and giving him some support in that way probably only at night. He doesn't want him to become dependent on it, and we had a long talk about Glen's rehabilitation. After a couple of days, Dr. Misselback says there is absolutely no reason that Glen can't be up in a chair for most of the day.
And in fact, he needs to be up in a chair most of the day. That's the only way he is going to get any stronger. He told me he had conflicting reports of Glen refusing physical therapy. I told him that Glen told me he wanted to be up and walking - and that no one had even been in to see him. So - we have a conundrum. I told Dr. Misselback that if we needed to have somebody come up and stay during the day to make sure Glen accepted the therapy we could. He didn't seem to think that was necesssary, but he did tell me that now was the time to turn into a "bitch" about Glen's care. To be more of an advocate and to make sure the nursing staff was paying attention to his needs of physical therapy.
He said that Glen is more alert than most of the patients in this part of the ICU, and they are more hesitant to get him up and moving about. Dr. Misselback said that Glen HAS to sit up - he is a totally deconditioned man - and that it's up to him to make his recovery happen. He said that it is just as well this little setback happened here at the hospital instead of at a rehab facility as Glen would probably have had to come back and be admitted to the hospital anyway. That part aside, however, I'd like to encourage each of you to help keep Glen motivated to push himself.
I told him he had to be up and in a chair. His butt has been hurting him and he says it's because of Hemorrhoids. I told him he didn't have hemorrhoids because I looked at his butt when the nurse was cleaning him. When he insisted he did, we looked again. I told him that if he had them - they must be up inside because he didn't have anything hanging out his butt. Sorry if this is gross - but this getting better business isn't always pretty. So - I got my first clue that maybe Glen had declined to be put in a chair. I told him that the nurses could get him a donut to sit on and that it wasn't an option not to sit in the chair.
Dr. Misselback said the ONLY way Glen is going to get better is to get himself up in a chair and work on getting his strength back. I also fussed at him - because he saw I was really serious about him getting out of the hospital - about not using the exercise equipment we have brought up to him. And any of you guys visiting him - feel free to ask him about the tools and get them and help him and make him do some reps of exercises while you are there. I bought a Pilates Bar with elastic bands that have openings where he can put his feet in them and then bring the bar up against his chest to strengthen his upper body. He can also use it to help strengthen his leg muscles by doing leg lifts and using the bar and bands to help lift. There are several tennis balls in the room. He can be squeezing them while he talks to you - you can squeeze one, too. He told me he needed a bar hanging from the ceiling so he could practice bringing it down to his chest - and I just got out the bar and put it on him and got him going on it.
Seriously, guys - if he's not gonna on his own motivate himself to continually build himself up, then I guess it's going to be up to us to make sure he at least does it when we are there with him. We'll have to address the issue of him taking responsibility for himself when we can get our hands around his neck and shake some sense into him. (Just kidding).
Dr. Misselback also told me he had talked to Glen's social worker about trying to get him into TIRR. She seemed to think that because he has the gold card, his options for TIRR may be limited. Do any of you have connections, or know of who I might contact to see if we can find out if there is any way we could get him in there? If so, please contact me. dgips@gipsgaits.com or 713-966-9497 . I'm calling his social worker today and I'm also going to call TIRR to find out what they require. I believe that in the next week or so, Glen could be strong enough to go there and Dr. M. said it would be a great place for him because he's fully convinced Glen can make a complete recovery and needs PT at least 3 times a day. I will also talk to Meredith (Glen's neighbor across the street). She works at Texas Children's Hospital as a social worker and maybe she can give me some pointers.
Glen is concerned about whether or not he will have a job when he gets out of the hospital. He asked last night if he could come home and do outpatient treatment. I told him that was an excellent idea - all he had to do was be able to clear his airway himself and at least be able to walk on a walker. He then told me there was a trainer on his street who could help him - and I again told him - excellent idea - just get himself strong enough to be home and it would happen. He's really wanting to get out of the hospital - but I'm wondering if he's realizing how easy it is to stay where he is? That's probably a wrong assumption - but he's sure getting lots of attention that he hadn't been getting. I told Glen it did no good right now to worry about his job. Hopefully they will still have a place for him and that every time we talk with them they say to let him know they miss him and want him to come back. He seemed to be OK with putting that thought on the back burner - after all, there wasn't any way he could work there at this particular moment in time.
well, guys - this is all I know and I hope I've given you some kind of insight as to where Glen is in his recovery. Thanks to all of you who've gone to visit with him. They are very laid back on the visiting hours for Glen. I think it helps the nurses when there are people visiting him because they don't have to check on him as much. If you do go up there and he isn't up in a chair this next make sure you insist he get in one. The nurses should help him. Let me know if you have ANY problem up there and we'll get it taken care of.
Sincerely -
Darla
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Update - Tuesday, March 2, 2010
I went to see Glen last night since I took a little hiatus over the weekend. I went after work so that I could spend more than 30 minutes with him on my lunch hour. He was laying on his side for a change (not on his back), but not because he really wanted to - he has a little pressure sore on his back end from laying in the bed for so long.
He looked really good, though. He said he was cold, but his face was warm and so were his hands. The bed has an air pillow, so I think it must be a little cooler than just being on a mattress. You know how a water bed without a heater is, right? No matter how many blankets you put between the mattress and your skin, you eventually freeze to death without that heater! Been there - done that.
Yesterday Glen was up out of the bed two times walking. They are even getting him up in the nifty huge wheelchair he has in his room. He was telling me they have been giving him steroids for his vocal chords and that the left side is frozen up. As we were talking, Dr. Misselback came in and visited with us at length.
He gave Glen a kind of plan of action. He said that they still do not know why his vocal chords are not working correctly. He suspects that the prolonged use of the breathing tube (over 2 weeks) may have had something to do with it. He is waiting on the speech therapist and throat specialist to consult with him, but the main block to quicker recovery for Glen is that he still cannot swallow. He has to be able to swallow, not to eat necessarily for the moment, but to be able to clear his own airway. He said that we all constantly are clearing out mucous from our lungs during the day whether we realize it or not. And right now, Glen is unable to cough up or even swallow the secretions if he were to be able to get them up. Until he can do that, Glen will have to stay in the hospital. If he can't swallow properly, then what will happen is that he will possibly be pulling the mucous into his lungs, which will cause infection, that would lead to pneumonia and then he'd be really sick again.
Dr. Misselback said that even the small feeding tube Glen has in his nose could be irritating his vocal chords right now. And Glen is MORE than ready to have that thing out. He told me yesterday that he wanted a Dr. Pepper and some FOOD. The doctor told Glen that he believes that the most prudent thing to do in the next couple of days is to put a feeding tube into his stomach and remove the one from his nose. That will give Glen more freedom to move around and psychologically give him a lift. After all - who wants to go around with a tube dangling from your nose?
He started Glen on Steroids over the weekend to help with the swelling of the vocal chords above the trach. And he also stopped the coumadin (I probably spelled this wrong) - the stuff that things Glen's blood - to keep him from having blood clots since he has a mechanical valve. He has stopped the coumadin so that they can put the stomach tube in. It will be a little local procedure (Dr. Misselback said like a Dental procedure). He won't be completely out, but he won't remember either. So - in the next several days after the coumadin gets out of his system, we can expect to see the feeding tube in a different place.
IF - and only IF Glen can manage to swallow on his own and clear his own secretions in the next couple of days, then they will probably not do that procedure. If he can swallow, clear his chest and eat on his own, then there is no reason to do it. Glen's OK with it I think though cause he really wants the nose thing out. The feeding tube though the stomach will make it easier for him to move around and to be fed. He can get boluses every so many hours instead of a continual drip. One of the main reasons for doing this procedure is that IF Glen can qualify to get into TIRR for rehabilitation, they will not take a patient who is on a nose drip. But they will take someone who has the gastric feeding tube. So now that I've talked you all into the feeding tube - he's what else Dr. Misselback said:
He expects for Glen to be in ICU for probably at least 7 - 10 more days until they can get the vocal chord/swallowing issue somewhat resolved. Once that is resolved, then he is ready for full rehab - and could go to TIRR. Or, if he can't go there, then they will be able to move him to a larger, more rehab friendly room where he can work hard on his own with the help of the Ben Taub therapists. Dr. Misselback said he could expect to spend probably another month in the hospital or rehab.
Glen asked why they had done the heart catherization before he had his surgery and was wondering if that could have caused some of the complications. Dr. Misselback said that in people over 45, they always did one to see if there were any blocked or clogged arteries so that those could be repaired at the same time the valve was replaced. In Glen's case, his arteries were clean as a whistle. He could eat every day at McDonald's and not worry. He said that Glen's aortic valve was a congenital deformity. Instead of having 3 little flaps on the valve, he was born with only 2. And what happened was that the 2 little flaps had developed calcium deposits on them causing the valve to not work properly. He said that people with normal valves usually never develop calcium build up until their 70's, 80's or 90's.
And as to why Glen had all these complications - Dr. Misselback said they just do not know. The surgery was textbook. Everything about what happened to Glen is a mystery. He may not have suggested that Glen have the surgery if he had known then what he knows now, but one thing is for certain. His heart is fine now and once he gets over this hurdle, he'll be like new. I don't think any of us will be able to keep up with him.
I have to say I'm pretty proud of him so far. He has been able to keep his spirits up and (knock on wood) has been getting stronger every day.
If I haven't covered some of the stuff the doctor talked to us about, it's not on purpose, guys. If I think of anything else, I'll blog about it a little later.
If left after about and hour and a half when a friend of his from school dropped by to visit. Dr. Misselback said Glen has more different friends visit him than he's ever see a person have. He knows many of you by name!. Isn't that amazing?
Sincerely,
Darla
He looked really good, though. He said he was cold, but his face was warm and so were his hands. The bed has an air pillow, so I think it must be a little cooler than just being on a mattress. You know how a water bed without a heater is, right? No matter how many blankets you put between the mattress and your skin, you eventually freeze to death without that heater! Been there - done that.
Yesterday Glen was up out of the bed two times walking. They are even getting him up in the nifty huge wheelchair he has in his room. He was telling me they have been giving him steroids for his vocal chords and that the left side is frozen up. As we were talking, Dr. Misselback came in and visited with us at length.
He gave Glen a kind of plan of action. He said that they still do not know why his vocal chords are not working correctly. He suspects that the prolonged use of the breathing tube (over 2 weeks) may have had something to do with it. He is waiting on the speech therapist and throat specialist to consult with him, but the main block to quicker recovery for Glen is that he still cannot swallow. He has to be able to swallow, not to eat necessarily for the moment, but to be able to clear his own airway. He said that we all constantly are clearing out mucous from our lungs during the day whether we realize it or not. And right now, Glen is unable to cough up or even swallow the secretions if he were to be able to get them up. Until he can do that, Glen will have to stay in the hospital. If he can't swallow properly, then what will happen is that he will possibly be pulling the mucous into his lungs, which will cause infection, that would lead to pneumonia and then he'd be really sick again.
Dr. Misselback said that even the small feeding tube Glen has in his nose could be irritating his vocal chords right now. And Glen is MORE than ready to have that thing out. He told me yesterday that he wanted a Dr. Pepper and some FOOD. The doctor told Glen that he believes that the most prudent thing to do in the next couple of days is to put a feeding tube into his stomach and remove the one from his nose. That will give Glen more freedom to move around and psychologically give him a lift. After all - who wants to go around with a tube dangling from your nose?
He started Glen on Steroids over the weekend to help with the swelling of the vocal chords above the trach. And he also stopped the coumadin (I probably spelled this wrong) - the stuff that things Glen's blood - to keep him from having blood clots since he has a mechanical valve. He has stopped the coumadin so that they can put the stomach tube in. It will be a little local procedure (Dr. Misselback said like a Dental procedure). He won't be completely out, but he won't remember either. So - in the next several days after the coumadin gets out of his system, we can expect to see the feeding tube in a different place.
IF - and only IF Glen can manage to swallow on his own and clear his own secretions in the next couple of days, then they will probably not do that procedure. If he can swallow, clear his chest and eat on his own, then there is no reason to do it. Glen's OK with it I think though cause he really wants the nose thing out. The feeding tube though the stomach will make it easier for him to move around and to be fed. He can get boluses every so many hours instead of a continual drip. One of the main reasons for doing this procedure is that IF Glen can qualify to get into TIRR for rehabilitation, they will not take a patient who is on a nose drip. But they will take someone who has the gastric feeding tube. So now that I've talked you all into the feeding tube - he's what else Dr. Misselback said:
He expects for Glen to be in ICU for probably at least 7 - 10 more days until they can get the vocal chord/swallowing issue somewhat resolved. Once that is resolved, then he is ready for full rehab - and could go to TIRR. Or, if he can't go there, then they will be able to move him to a larger, more rehab friendly room where he can work hard on his own with the help of the Ben Taub therapists. Dr. Misselback said he could expect to spend probably another month in the hospital or rehab.
Glen asked why they had done the heart catherization before he had his surgery and was wondering if that could have caused some of the complications. Dr. Misselback said that in people over 45, they always did one to see if there were any blocked or clogged arteries so that those could be repaired at the same time the valve was replaced. In Glen's case, his arteries were clean as a whistle. He could eat every day at McDonald's and not worry. He said that Glen's aortic valve was a congenital deformity. Instead of having 3 little flaps on the valve, he was born with only 2. And what happened was that the 2 little flaps had developed calcium deposits on them causing the valve to not work properly. He said that people with normal valves usually never develop calcium build up until their 70's, 80's or 90's.
And as to why Glen had all these complications - Dr. Misselback said they just do not know. The surgery was textbook. Everything about what happened to Glen is a mystery. He may not have suggested that Glen have the surgery if he had known then what he knows now, but one thing is for certain. His heart is fine now and once he gets over this hurdle, he'll be like new. I don't think any of us will be able to keep up with him.
I have to say I'm pretty proud of him so far. He has been able to keep his spirits up and (knock on wood) has been getting stronger every day.
If I haven't covered some of the stuff the doctor talked to us about, it's not on purpose, guys. If I think of anything else, I'll blog about it a little later.
If left after about and hour and a half when a friend of his from school dropped by to visit. Dr. Misselback said Glen has more different friends visit him than he's ever see a person have. He knows many of you by name!. Isn't that amazing?
Sincerely,
Darla
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wed - February 24 - Update
Most of you know by now that Glen is VERY AWAKE. He's not on the ventilator any more, but he still has the trach and an oxygen mask that fits over it just to help him keep his oxygen level up. He needs to strengthen his chest wall and lungs so that they can inflate enough to support him without any help. Once he can do that, the trach will come out.
He's having to learn how to swallow again, and if they put a cap on the trach, he can "sort of" talk. Today, they have him up and walking on a walker. He's very weak, but I have no doubt he'll be up and around soon.
He still has lots of congestion around his lungs, and they are not going to use the cap anymore because it prevents the use of the oxygen that he needs. They are still giving him antibiotics in case the congestion turns into an infection.
One thing we're asking. Glen has been asking for all kinds of stuff. Hammers, nails, mirrors, water colors - cameras. He can't have any of those things at the hospital. Cameras due to patient confidentiality, and the other stuff for safety reasons and the fact that there is NO ROOM TO PUT ANYTHING ELSE in his little room.
I don't know when or if they are planning to move him soon, but whatever stuff he has up there, has to come home eventually. Right now, he has plenty of drawing material, pens, pencils, books, etc. I hate to even write this, because I know how much everybody wants him to have his "stuff." If we can just get him over this breathing thing and on the road to making himself stronger, he'll have all that at home. The sooner the better I'm hoping.
Once again - thanks for all you guys support of Glen. He loves company and having you all to share in giving it to him is a great blessing for us. Don't be afraid to give me a call at 713-966-9497 or email me at dgips@gipsgaits.com if you have any questions or want just to talk.
sincerely,
Darla
He's having to learn how to swallow again, and if they put a cap on the trach, he can "sort of" talk. Today, they have him up and walking on a walker. He's very weak, but I have no doubt he'll be up and around soon.
He still has lots of congestion around his lungs, and they are not going to use the cap anymore because it prevents the use of the oxygen that he needs. They are still giving him antibiotics in case the congestion turns into an infection.
One thing we're asking. Glen has been asking for all kinds of stuff. Hammers, nails, mirrors, water colors - cameras. He can't have any of those things at the hospital. Cameras due to patient confidentiality, and the other stuff for safety reasons and the fact that there is NO ROOM TO PUT ANYTHING ELSE in his little room.
I don't know when or if they are planning to move him soon, but whatever stuff he has up there, has to come home eventually. Right now, he has plenty of drawing material, pens, pencils, books, etc. I hate to even write this, because I know how much everybody wants him to have his "stuff." If we can just get him over this breathing thing and on the road to making himself stronger, he'll have all that at home. The sooner the better I'm hoping.
Once again - thanks for all you guys support of Glen. He loves company and having you all to share in giving it to him is a great blessing for us. Don't be afraid to give me a call at 713-966-9497 or email me at dgips@gipsgaits.com if you have any questions or want just to talk.
sincerely,
Darla
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Happy Day - A Stepping Stone
Desiree reports this morning that
Glen has been moved to a step down in the ICU. He is now in Bed # 27. Which means - that if you go see him, instead of going directly into the ICU as usual through those last set of doors, you turn to the right hallway before those doors and go to the other unit.
They said it would be a couple of days, and he would be eating again! Wow ! When good things happen - they happen fast, don't they?
Glen has been moved to a step down in the ICU. He is now in Bed # 27. Which means - that if you go see him, instead of going directly into the ICU as usual through those last set of doors, you turn to the right hallway before those doors and go to the other unit.
They said it would be a couple of days, and he would be eating again! Wow ! When good things happen - they happen fast, don't they?
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Monday/Tuesday Morning February 15 & 16
Went to see Glen last night. He was sleeping. Guess he was so tired from not sleeping for a day or so. Left a note for Dr. Misselback to call since haven't been able to catch him at the hospital this last week. Glen woke up about 25 minutes into the visit. I Couldn't talk much with the nurse at first because she was busy taking care of another patient next door to Glen.
When I did get to talk to her, she told me they were planning to put the permanent pacemaker in today. The second temporary one went on the fritz so they are going for the permanent one now even though they haven't been able to pinpoint why he is still running that low grade fever.
Glen was more alert last night after his nap, which I was glad to see. I played him some music from my I-touch. I don't know who attached a small radio in a bag to his bed, but if it was one of you - what a great idea!
Update - this morning - call from Dr. Misselback
He called this morning to address my concerns in the letter I left. Will get me the letter for Social Security.
He's verified that the permanent pacemaker will go in today.
We discussed the marked difference in Glen's condition on Friday versus how he was on Sunday and even yesterday. Dr. said he was shocked when he saw him on Sunday and at first thought he might have had a stroke or something. But, he really thinks he may have been given some kind of medication that made him zombie-like. Anyway, he says he has withdrawn all medication other than the insulin and heparin(sp?){needed to prevent blod clots} and he should be better every day.
Dr. Misselbeck said that after the permanent pacemaker is in, then it will be heavy duty physical therapy. Getting him up and moving. I know Glen can't wait. Dr. Misselback said for every day of being bed bound, it takes at least 3 days of physical therapy to recoup. So, let's figure - Glen's been in bed since Jan 21. That's over 3 weeks. 21 days X 3 = 60 day of rehab. That's a lot - I hope it doesn't take that long.
When I did get to talk to her, she told me they were planning to put the permanent pacemaker in today. The second temporary one went on the fritz so they are going for the permanent one now even though they haven't been able to pinpoint why he is still running that low grade fever.
Glen was more alert last night after his nap, which I was glad to see. I played him some music from my I-touch. I don't know who attached a small radio in a bag to his bed, but if it was one of you - what a great idea!
Update - this morning - call from Dr. Misselback
He called this morning to address my concerns in the letter I left. Will get me the letter for Social Security.
He's verified that the permanent pacemaker will go in today.
We discussed the marked difference in Glen's condition on Friday versus how he was on Sunday and even yesterday. Dr. said he was shocked when he saw him on Sunday and at first thought he might have had a stroke or something. But, he really thinks he may have been given some kind of medication that made him zombie-like. Anyway, he says he has withdrawn all medication other than the insulin and heparin(sp?){needed to prevent blod clots} and he should be better every day.
Dr. Misselbeck said that after the permanent pacemaker is in, then it will be heavy duty physical therapy. Getting him up and moving. I know Glen can't wait. Dr. Misselback said for every day of being bed bound, it takes at least 3 days of physical therapy to recoup. So, let's figure - Glen's been in bed since Jan 21. That's over 3 weeks. 21 days X 3 = 60 day of rehab. That's a lot - I hope it doesn't take that long.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Monday February 8 - PM Update
Went to see Glen this evening. Horrible, horrible storm was brewing and passed through while there. On a good note, Glen was looking good. He'd had a shave, they brushed his teeth and he looked comfortable. Bill Shackelford and I had a good visit with him, but we weren't able to talk to the doctors about how his tracheostomy went. On the other hand, though, we could see that it was done and he is now able once in a while to mouth words. We told him that he still wasn't able to talk because of the trach and he seemed to mouth the word "Why?" Pretty good, huh? To say we're encouraged is an understatement. Last night they had no sedation meds or pain meds on board and yet Glen didn't appear to be uncomfortable. No fever last night when we were there. He's on a mattress that "floats" to several different positions to prevent bed sores. I'm hopeful that soon he will have the drugs out of his system enough to make him more aware. Looks like a long recovery time as he seems to not have strength in his arms and legs from being in the bed for so long. Thursday will be 3 whole weeks. Keep up the good thoughts and prayers for Glen. He will get better! Will post more later when have updated info
Monday, February 8, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Desiree and I visited Glen at 1:00 today. The anesthesiologist came by to check on him and told us they would be doing the tracheostomy in about an hour. He's expected to be in there for about and hour and then in recovery. Will be putting in a permanent pacemaker later, but not today. Will post again this evening if possible on how the trach went and how he fared. Mary J. and Robert from Pasadena were up to visit with Glen as well and he was alert enough to blink an eye to let them know he recognized them.
Sunday, February 7, 2009
Sorry I've been so long in posting - running back & forth to the hospital and between Glen's house and back home has been a little time consuming. When we went to see Glen on Sunday morning, he was running a temp of 102. He was also hooked up to the temporary pacemaker that had been left in when he had his original surgery. His heart was beating in an irregular rhythm, and was slow. Dr. said he was puzzled by this development and the cardiologist is coming to consult and try to find out why this happened, as his heart had been doing just fine after the initial slow start after surgery. It was mentioned that it may be necessary to place a permanent pacemaker in at some point. The nurse gave Glen tylenol for the fever and they are giving him lasix to pull some of the fluid off his body. By evening visiting hours, Glen looked much better and the pacemaker had been turned off as his heart was beating correctly on its own once again. The nurse also told me they did a procedure on Sunday afternoon to scrape the mucous out of his bronchial tubes (I think). This helps get out all the gunk. The doc said his pneumonia is getting better. I'll be checking on him again at 1:00 on Monday, and will try to post any new developments.
The doctor did say the best thing we could do for Glen was to keep him psyched up about getting well and wiling himself to get better. Dr. Misselback said he has had more visitors than he's seen anybody get in the ICU - and it's important that everybody be positive and upbeat that he will get better and that he has to keep a positive attitude and not give up.
The doctor did say the best thing we could do for Glen was to keep him psyched up about getting well and wiling himself to get better. Dr. Misselback said he has had more visitors than he's seen anybody get in the ICU - and it's important that everybody be positive and upbeat that he will get better and that he has to keep a positive attitude and not give up.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Aortic Stenosis
As most of you know, Glen had open heart surgery on Thursday, January 21, 2010, at Ben Taub Hospital in Houston, TX.
His diagnosis was Aortic stenosis which is the narrowing or obstruction of the heart's aortic valve, which prevents it from opening properly and blocks the flow of blood from the left lower chamber of the heart to the aorta. The aorta is the main artery leaving the heart. His aortic valve was replaced with a mechanical one and he seemed to tolerate the surgery well.
The next day, when the breathing tube was removed, Glen's lungs were unable to sustain him. Because his airway swelled upon removal of the breathing tube, another, smaller tube was used and Glen was given steroids to alleviate the swelling. In addition, Glen, being the anxious person he is, was given a drug that kept him asleep and unable to move to help his body rest and regenerate. Three or 4 days later, the larger breathing tube was reinserted to better support him.
On Monday, January 26, and he was taken off the medicine that kept him asleep. Additionally, they began to wean him from the sedation meds and the pain medication to get him more alert in an attempt to get the breathing tube out. It took several days for Glen's body to process the medicine through his body and he gradually became more and more aware of his surroundings.
However, another complication - pneumonia - also developed in the next few days. The doctor ordered a sample of his bronchial secretions be cultured and Glen was diagnosed with pneumonia. While the chest tube that had been inserted on his left side was removed on earlier in the week, another was inserted in his right side on either Tuesday to drain his lungs. Another tube was inserted on the left side on Thursday to help drain his lungs. He was given antibiotics to target the pneumonia and I' glad to say that he responded well to that treatment and according to the doctors, the pneumonia is resolving.
Glen's lungs were only functioning at one-half capacity before he had this surgery. It's not an unheard of complication that he has had lung failure. The doctors have counseled that it may be necessary to perform a tracheotomy on Glen. While we were hoping that would not be necessary, it appears that in order to prevent a secondary infection and to give Glen's lungs more time to heal, he will require one this week. The doctor says it would be for about a two-week period - so that's good news. Not permanent - yeah!
They will be able to get him up and moving around - and he'll get some rehab since he's been immobile for so long. His muscles will be weak and he'll need some support to get around. Having the trach in will allow him to be up and moving.
Glen's family wanted to thank all of his friends for their support and concern for Glen and his Aunt, Karine. We are going to try to update this blog at least every other day or so to let you know how Glen is doing. I'm confident the news will be better and better every day.
If you'd like to leave a comment or two for Glen, please feel free to do so and we will take your good wishes up to him on one of our visits. Please keep Glen in your thoughts and prayers.
His diagnosis was Aortic stenosis which is the narrowing or obstruction of the heart's aortic valve, which prevents it from opening properly and blocks the flow of blood from the left lower chamber of the heart to the aorta. The aorta is the main artery leaving the heart. His aortic valve was replaced with a mechanical one and he seemed to tolerate the surgery well.
The next day, when the breathing tube was removed, Glen's lungs were unable to sustain him. Because his airway swelled upon removal of the breathing tube, another, smaller tube was used and Glen was given steroids to alleviate the swelling. In addition, Glen, being the anxious person he is, was given a drug that kept him asleep and unable to move to help his body rest and regenerate. Three or 4 days later, the larger breathing tube was reinserted to better support him.
On Monday, January 26, and he was taken off the medicine that kept him asleep. Additionally, they began to wean him from the sedation meds and the pain medication to get him more alert in an attempt to get the breathing tube out. It took several days for Glen's body to process the medicine through his body and he gradually became more and more aware of his surroundings.
However, another complication - pneumonia - also developed in the next few days. The doctor ordered a sample of his bronchial secretions be cultured and Glen was diagnosed with pneumonia. While the chest tube that had been inserted on his left side was removed on earlier in the week, another was inserted in his right side on either Tuesday to drain his lungs. Another tube was inserted on the left side on Thursday to help drain his lungs. He was given antibiotics to target the pneumonia and I' glad to say that he responded well to that treatment and according to the doctors, the pneumonia is resolving.
Glen's lungs were only functioning at one-half capacity before he had this surgery. It's not an unheard of complication that he has had lung failure. The doctors have counseled that it may be necessary to perform a tracheotomy on Glen. While we were hoping that would not be necessary, it appears that in order to prevent a secondary infection and to give Glen's lungs more time to heal, he will require one this week. The doctor says it would be for about a two-week period - so that's good news. Not permanent - yeah!
They will be able to get him up and moving around - and he'll get some rehab since he's been immobile for so long. His muscles will be weak and he'll need some support to get around. Having the trach in will allow him to be up and moving.
Glen's family wanted to thank all of his friends for their support and concern for Glen and his Aunt, Karine. We are going to try to update this blog at least every other day or so to let you know how Glen is doing. I'm confident the news will be better and better every day.
If you'd like to leave a comment or two for Glen, please feel free to do so and we will take your good wishes up to him on one of our visits. Please keep Glen in your thoughts and prayers.
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